Always-On Religion

Cheong (2010) adapts the ancient notion of sacred connectedness to the modern format of Twitter and online messaging through which the messages and ‘Tweets’ act as a form of sacred ritual, through which prayer, religious identification, faith and sacred presence are facilitated. Cheong (2010) claims this rise in microblogging nurtures piety, and develops continuous prayer through which religious adherents utilize to maintain spiritual connections in an online realm.

This adaptation of faith can be seen as an extension upon two levels. Initially, the extension of the telephone upon the conversation allowed for proclamations of faith, religious interaction and long-distance prayer when face-to-face conversations were not permitted. The extension of Twitter (and the internet in general) upon the telephone allows for further interaction when conversation may not be available, or necessarily wanted. The expansion of prayer upon Twitter is considered far more powerful than mere conversation, as the multitude of followers become interacted with instantly and the poster is effectively addressing a congregation in a sense. This was otherwise unavailable through talking via person or phone and allows for a far greater sense of spirituality as through the online posts, the individual becomes centered and is addressing the masses so to speak, in often times when the individual lacks the congregational ascension and would not be positioned to do so. 

Cheong (2010) describes this as maintaining a “connected presence” through both connections to the individual and in times the Church. This allows for an “always on” mentality where a connection is always a click away, announcements are real time and mechanisms for responding are in place (Cheong, 2010). This builds upon the idea of the individual addressing the masses. It allows for an open forum whereby the individual is addressed and can address, which develops a sense of connectedness and spiritual elevation. This is felt within all, not just those who post comments, if an individual declines to post, they are still bound by the same feelings of connectedness through the “instant” connection of the internet. They become informed, kept up to date on events and announcements which elicit feelings of spiritual importance, often to a greater level than those found within weekly congregational attendance (Cheong, 2010). 

References:

Cheong PH. 2010. Faith Tweets: Ambient Religious Communication and Microblogging rituals. M/C Journal: A Journal of Media and Culture.

http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/223